“We will have offerings that will be comparable and at one point exceed the competitors again,” Michael Bunce, Nissan North America’s newly installed product planning chief, tells WardsAuto here during an interview at the 2016 North American International Auto Show.

I've always said it would take some real competition for Nissan to up its EV game and that they'd rest on their (fairly earned) laurels until then.

But it's interesting to see so many vehicles now in development/planning with these range claims. WHERE ARE THOSE BATTERIES? Do they yet exist in usable form or is this all predicated on laboratory data and predictions?

mwalsh wrote:I don't personally think the next gen LEAF will be competitive with the Bolt. I can't say why I feel that way, but I just don't.

Such negativity! I'm fascinated how we can own a Leaf...for about the same time...with similar experiences...and come out of it with such different viewpoints. I think Nissan was a leader in the EV revolution, and I think they will be again. The economics have changed in that I don't think any of us would have predicted gasoline < $2 almost 5 years after we bought our Leafs, but life is full of surprises. I still think the massive investment in platforms and battery technology (maybe only Tesla has invested more) will pay off in the long run for Nissan.

I believe that Nissan's misstatements, lack of statements, false claims, and outright lies over the previous few years are responsible for this attitude of many in no small part... It is hard to simply take them at their word due to this...

Stanton wrote:Such negativity! I'm fascinated how we can own a Leaf...for about the same time...with similar experiences...and come out of it with such different viewpoints.

I think the next generation LEAF will be more feature rich than the Bolt (radiant drivers heat sounds really exciting), and it will probably offer a more comfortable and premium interior- but my experience with how Nissan handled the battery degradation issue tells me that I really shouldn't go back to Nissan if a competitive product is available from another manufacturer. The corporate response to the battery degradation issue was a huge disappointment. Frankly, I don't trust Nissan, and they have a long way to go to rebuild that trust.

I love my LEAF, but I'm glad it's a lease. If I can love this car in the condition it's in, I'm sure I'll love the Bolt even better.

Stanton wrote:Such negativity! I'm fascinated how we can own a Leaf...for about the same time...with similar experiences...and come out of it with such different viewpoints. I think Nissan was a leader in the EV revolution, and I think they will be again. The economics have changed in that I don't think any of us would have predicted gasoline < $2 almost 5 years after we bought our Leafs, but life is full of surprises. I still think the massive investment in platforms and battery technology (maybe only Tesla has invested more) will pay off in the long run for Nissan.

I wish I could tell you what is driving my feelings in this matter, but I can assure you it's not Nissan as a brand. Nor is it my experience with the Gen 1 LEAF. Perhaps you can hazard a guess based on some of my previous postings? If I mention "cheese" does that help any?

Or "cheesy"? It's just that the Leaf has such an econobox aura. Non-woven "carpet" being a fine example. And the dumpling shape. And the cabin air filter door that you have to break to remove. Or the lousy 12V charging algorithm... If they didn't fix any of this stuff in six years, will they get it right on Leaf 2?